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| นิตยสาร สารคดี: ฉบับที่ ๒๒๖ เดือนธันวาคม ๒๕๔๖ | ISSN 0857-1538 | |||
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| Story: Niramon Moonchinda | |||
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Papaya is considered a "staple" fruit/vegetable for Thai people. The spicy papaya salad Som Tum is almost an icon of Thailand. The same could be said of papaya in Hawaii. From green papaya salad to dessert, papaya is a way of life for people on the distant islands. Hawaiian people had taken pleasure in eating papaya for as long as they can remember. But now in some cases, that pleasure has been replaced by a sense of disappointment, skepticism and even anger. The introduction of genetically modified papaya (or GMO papaya) in Hawaii five years ago has left a bitter taste. |
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Scientists created GMO papaya by injecting part of a virus's genetic code into the cells of papaya leaves to create a new papaya variety resistant to ring spot disease. Eventually the genetically modified papaya was sold to farmers under the brand names "Sun-Up" and "Rainbow". Many farmers in Hawaii who had previously relied on heavy use of chemicals to fend off the ring spot virus believed the marketing ploy and started planting GMO papaya. John Biloon begged to differ, however. His 12-year practice of sustainable organic agriculture not only brought him pride but also fruitful success, literally. His garden was a living proof that for neither modern technology nor chemicals nor high-tech GMO varieties were needed to produce a vibrant environmentally friendly garden. But his long cultivated reputation came crashing down when it was found that 40% of his papayas had GMO genetic material. |
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Because of easy cross germination from GMO to natural varieties, five out of six natural papaya trees in Hawaii have become genetically contaminated. Concerned about long-term health impacts, Japan, previously a major market of Hawaiian papaya, said no to GMO papaya. The papayas with genetic contamination also had unappealing mushy flesh, leading to significant price declines for all papaya growers in Hawaii. Growers found the GMO papayas have weaker roots, and in addition are vulnerable to new diseases. Finally, GMO papaya growers suffered from increased costs of production because they have to buy costly copy-righted seeds every year from companies like Monsanto. Contrary to the variety names "Sun Up" and "Rainbow", the prospect of Hawaiian papaya growers looks far from being bright. | ||
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So when John Biloon heard that Thailand were in the process of starting field trials of GMO papaya, he decided to leave his country for the first time to personally warn Thai farmers of the dangers ahead and share the bitter lessons learned in Hawaii. Watch out! The next time you eat a plate of spicy papaya salad Som Tam, you may have to wonder if it is natural, or artificially created. |